How does a fresh student become a product manager?

Today, I was surprised to receive an email from a younger brother, who mainly consulted on career development, and first attached the contents of the Mail:

I am South China Normal University 2009 financial students Rodin, from the South China Sea campus, is currently in the job hunting period, some professional development (Internet product operations) on the confusion to ask you. In order to better express my thoughts to you, this letter is written a little long, thank you again for your valuable time.

1. What is my experience?

Like many college students, I read a financial science in a daze, in more than three years has been trying to professional direction, but has not been a cold. Three years has also learned some financial knowledge, followed by the accounting practitioners, bank practitioners and other certificates, has two times to the bank internship, but I am more and more found that finance is really not my food. I have some similar experience with my brother, you are in the sophomore contact to the website operation, thus opened another piece of heaven and earth, I was just the opposite, in the sophomore time contact with students work, opened their own growth process.

From October 2010 to May 2011, I have been in South China Normal University Nanhai District student Office Administrative Assistant Team assistant, in that period of time gradually digging into their own potential, slowly learn from the practice of observation, thinking, understanding and accumulation. From May 2011 to May 2012, I changed to team captain vice-captain, leading the group to complete the campus part of the student work, this is a challenging process, and I have a full year. Student work is a very exercise of people's work, but also very time-consuming work, so I sacrificed to the financial professional deep most of the time (itself is not interested), but in the comprehensive quality of training has made considerable progress.

On the other hand, from the beginning of the freshman I do a student entrepreneurship, to get the campus chartered; and in the second half of the semester, I joined the campus Entrepreneurial Center, and the team to operate a café. And, by several excellent brother's influence, gradually contact 36 krypton, know the Internet products.

University three years, in the sophomore contact student work, is my life bifurcation point; in the junior contact entrepreneurship, is a new starting point. Although we are only a campus entrepreneurship, but still with a passion, in the pursuit of self-improvement and perfection. And during this time, I was exposed to knowledge management, project management, contact to know, find themselves for knowledge, for value, for growth, for the inner sense of abundance is eager. Three years of college time so past, senior summer I went to the construction Bank internship, want to give themselves a chance, however, the fact that the bank seems to give is not what I want (also because I do not fully understand it, but not fully understand the financial industry). August or September, I went to a Hong Kong media news website Department, this is my first formal contact with the Internet operations, during the media internship, I was responsible for the Financial column editor, also responsible for the operation of the official microblog. I've been paying attention to social Beta's social marketing, and that's what I like to do.

2. Why do I have to do product operation?

Over the last few months, I've identified my core strengths: Obtain the outside information, after repeated practice, through observation, thinking, summing up and understanding, gradually form their own knowledge structure; the type of work I should be doing, preferably partial knowledge, introverted (such as editing, code farming, internet operation, etc.), Rather than a sales type (for example, a bank account manager).

It seems a little late to establish my career, but maybe I wake up earlier than others. Last week, I began to toss out an independent blog http://luodaoyun.com on the basis of no technology and started to experience Internet products with practice. Last week to participate in the Baidu product operation of the written test, was brushed down, of course, this is normal; but in preparing the written examination, I found a sense of cheer and fullness inside. In the process of searching and integrating information, I feel the scent of knowledge.

And I stumbled upon your article and blog, after careful browsing, more feel a sense of intimacy. We are all very eager to grow, but also know to live in the present, do a good job in the immediate, but there is always a seed in the process of continuous experience, let it sprout, bravely let it grow. I began to want to take your road, become a good product operator, and then become a good product manager. In my opinion, the Internet Product manager and the CEO of the traditional industry is essentially the same, it emphasizes your product, the team, the market strong control, a qualified PM at least after 35 years of exercise, and really good PM is a scarce talent.

I do not have a technical background (it is also estimated that Tencent Baidu is a big part of the reason to despise it), want to cut into this industry, is sure to go first operation, in the process of operation gradually learning, to supplement the knowledge structure. But the operation is too broad, and given my previous experience, social media marketing may be a more detailed and appropriate entry point. As you know the question of the app promotion method, many of the reasons are understood, but often difficult to understand. Product promotion, micro-blogging operation is a small force point.

3. What's my next step?

The next step is to focus on a particular area. I have chosen social marketing, and I will seek more theoretical knowledge from know and SB. But lack of practice and precipitation. If I had decided on this road a year ago, the accumulated experience would have been deep, like a lone boat in the @ leaf; and I was a lot too late and missed the opportunity to recruit on campus. Dreams are colorful, and the best way to make a dream come true is to continue to learn and accumulate in a better professional environment. Tencent this platform for young people is undoubtedly a great opportunity, excellent entrepreneurial team is also very good choice, but the industry is mixed, but also the fact.

This is my biggest confusion: the platform is very important, when should I go and how to find a starting platform? And how to prepare for it now?

In the case of a letter, the question is how to be a product manager. From my experience of nearly two years, if you want to be a product manager, first you have to understand what the position of the product manager is. Is it really a position close to the CEO role, as your classmates imagine? In my 2 years of career experience, fresh students can not become product managers. Its best path should be first from product assistant, gradually grow, can bring a module and small product. All the jobs given to the "Product manager" Ttle are just a cover. Share a product from the operation of the transition to do product assistant experience, so that fresh students really know the position of product manager.

1. Always want to do product direction of work.

Many people are not the same, from the beginning of the first contact with the Internet, but also engaged in network marketing, community operations and other aspects of the internship, the beginning of the time that the product manager is a very high title, has been running this direction efforts. But after the interview Tencent, found that to become a product manager needs too much, with my starting point and ability, it is difficult. So follow the advice of some friends, starting from the operation, and slowly contact the product, this is my transformation motivation. PS: My major was administration, and that was the kind of criticism that someone had been asked to answer. )

2. There are too many similarities between product operation and product planning.

When they formally entered the business, did six months of product operations, and then came to the current company to do product assistant, found that there are many similarities between the two. The two are interlinked, operating contact is the bottom of the user, get the most real user needs, so there will be the user needs, to the product manager, will be scheduled resources to achieve, but after all, not all of your operational needs can be realized immediately, need to arrange the time. Then produce this part of the impulse to do the product, hoping to master development, to realize their urgent operational needs. Believe this is the motivation for most products to be transformed into products. And the work of the product operation is very trivial, especially in the start-up company, a person may be the promotion + data analysis + Soft Wen + activities planning + ... and many other roles. Many things, but not enough focus, this is difficult for fresh students to accumulate, but also a number of reasons for the transformation.

3. Product Manager, not as easy as you think.

This section is addressed to graduates who want to work in the direction of the product, and the product manager is a hot job, and a product planner, project manager, or even operations manager may be branded as a product manager. This is an overly hyped position, it seems too impetuous. To be honest, a product manager is a position that requires a high level of comprehensive ability, communication skills, writing, design skills, coordination, logic, and so on. So don't be fooled by the title of the product manager. Aspiring to do product manager of the fresh students, from the operation, development and even product assistant to start, such a position more practical, but also more in line with personal growth. Refer to Sterling silver, "What is the Internet Product Manager" http://firecacada.blog.163.com/blog/static/70743762012113103028580/

4. Wouldn't it be terrible if you knew when you were going to get married, buy a house, have a baby, or even imagine your life for the next 40 years?

Linjing reprint about the product manager's attitude analysis of the very place, (HTTP://ZHI.HU/CEBH) also hit many people's psychology, was hit the graduating students really want to think clearly what they want to do. This society, impetuous to we can only try to test civil servants, find a stable job, and then find a girlfriend, a few years to buy a house to marry and have children, for the children born busy before busy, so it is possible this life has been so. But I think my own life should not be like this, I do not need my life is so magnificent, I just want to have the opportunity to choose the industry I want to engage in, want to do. I know that this life must have twists and turns, full of uncertainty, but this is not what should be done when young? When you know what you want to do, what you can do, then bravely to their own direction to do it, no matter how difficult the process, efforts will always be rewarded, if the return is not enough, can only say that their efforts are not enough, We should add more strength, while young, more study, more effort. Luckily, I've known many of these people, and their experience has taught me that as long as you focus on your work in a certain field, you will be rewarded.

After reading the "It" lost Generation: 35 years old into wards, nowhere to put the future, someone asked me if you read after the impulse to change careers? I said: "Rather than to do another I do not like or not sure like the work, I would like to work hard in the next ten years, and strive to do a good job in the present, the work of their favorite." "We all agree. Nowhere to put is not our future, but the impetuous heart. Instead of thinking about what it would be like to be 35 years old, you might as well grasp the present and try to do everything.

Second, answer your question: How to become a product manager?

Product Manager This position is like the Sea Thief King's Road fly, to the person's quality requirement is higher, needs many kinds of ability. Especially in a product-driven company, each action of a product manager may dictate the career planning of others, because you are the captain of the product, and you need to lead this ship to the other side of the ocean. In the case of fresh students, do not want to be a product manager in the beginning, in your body, the most lack is experience. No product experience is like a game character without skill, hard everywhere. It should be said that the fresh students want to become a product manager need to find a relevant job, start their own cultivation. How to find a platform? In fact, the world's largest platform is not a company, but its own. That's right. This is a good start when you want to know what you want to do and what you are good at. Obviously, you seem to have found your own goal, then? What are you waiting for? You have not graduated, it is only October, many internet companies are now starting to recruit, you should start to apply, to understand the company you aspire to, to understand their products, to analyze them, to experience them, this is what you are going to do. When you go to a variety of school strokes, you will naturally see your starting platform.

As far as my current career is concerned, I feel that in these five years, we do not need to think so much, well lay the foundation, good to do everything on hand, with a good module, with a product can be, do not need to think more, just need to do more. Back to the younger brother's question: How to become a product manager? In fact, how to find a product in the work. Here, give you a few suggestions for fresh students:

1. Recommended to be a product manager of the fresh students see "Everyone is Product manager" and "Networking" two books, you can learn what a product manager is in both books, and there are a lot of tips in the book that tell you how to get a job in a product. At the same time, need to register a known account, take a good look inside about the "product Manager", "Product operation" and other issues, there will be a lot of essence.

2. Carefully prepare each resume you cast, every interview. Not just the face, but the experience of their products, to find out where they are deficient and improved, to send emails to these product teams and tell them what you find. The most unfortunate is only to receive the Echo, I believe many teams will give you an interview opportunity. In the Internet, as a newcomer, the company is more interested in your potential: self-learning ability, initiative and responsibility. The experience is only a shallow and shallow part. This is not only applicable to the Internet industry, when you do anything, you need to have such a quality: serious preparation, proactive attack.

3. Confidence is important. Self-confidence is a mindset that comes from your understanding of the future and your understanding of yourself. Only by mastering the status quo can you have confidence and have the clout to do anything.

If you have done the above three points, I believe that it is not difficult to find a job in the direction of the product, but the road to become a product manager is still a long way to go, and then work hard.